The concerned authorities noticed three trucks travelling southwards on Saturday, showing signs of bearing an excessive volume of goods. They stopped the trucks to check them at the Hong Linh Commune-based Weighing Station.

The results indicated that the three trucks had exceeded load limits by 50 to 115 per cent.

The truck drivers said they were transporting limestone powder from Ha Nam Province to the southern provinces.

Toan said two of the owners of trucks that had exceeded the limit by 50 per cent were fined VND30 million each ($1,400), and two drivers were fined VND6 million each ($270). The owner of the third truck which had exceeded the limit by 115 per cent was fined VND34 million ($1,500), and the driver was fined VND7.5 million ($340).

The three trucks had ‘successfully' passed Weighing Stations in the four provinces of Ha Nam, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, and Nghe An before they were caught in Ha Tinh Province, according to the online newspaper vnexpress.net.

To avoid being checked for tonnage, the truck drivers said they went through the Weighing Stations very early in the morning or late at night and tried to bypass Weighing Stations by taking a roundabout route along village roads, the e-paper said.

In addition to the fine, the drivers were also required to reduce their loads, and their driving licenses and vehicle registrations were temporarily revoked, Major Nguyen An Ninh, a transport policeman from Ha Tinh Police, said. — VNS